Off Grid Water

lornaschinske · 05-19-2010, 05:14 PM

You can often (not always) get potable (safe to drink) water from many places that have a hose bibb. Fire stations are a popular place as are gas stations, car washes, rest stops and of course public or private campgrounds. Anyplace that you can dump sewage at often has a potable water source. You need your own hose (NEVER use the hose connected to the hose bibb... you don't know what it has touched). Get a vinyl one (sold as an RV, "Taste-free" or "Drinking water safe" hose... often white or blue). 2 hoses (1 shortish and one longish) is better than a single 50 ft hose. Don't buy them from Wal-Mart. They have lousy fittings that tend to leak. Home Depot, Lowes or hardware stores like ACE or Tru Value are better sources.

Some public campgrounds have unthreaded hose bibbs. That's to keep some moron from hooking their water hose to the only water source in the campground and hogging it.

http://www.marxrv.com/plumbing/plumb.htm has a DIY water thief to use on an unthreaded hose bibb. BTW, Mark has some good info on that site that you may find interesting and useful.

lapeer20m · 05-19-2010, 08:16 PM

if you go to a fire station, as a professional firefighter, i suggest going after 5pm. The boss has usually gone home by then.

some rest area's have water. every truck stop has water. i have found that the attendant at just about any gas station usually doesn't mind if i take water as long as i ask first, especially if it's not a busy time of day. I've also stopped at a campground just for water and paid them a few bucks for their trouble. If a restaurant (smaller mom/pop places) has an exterior water spigot then they prob wouldn't mind, especially if you are eating a meal there.

bus-bro · 05-19-2010, 10:26 PM

I have used rainwater collection for my house non-potable use for twenty-plus years. Last year they changed the water impoundment laws in Washington State--used to be you couldn't impound any rainwater. Still against the law to bring into the living unit without treatment. This spring I installed a less than a micron filter and UV light from RV Filters http://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/; finally legal, I guess.

The technology to treat and use river and lake water is out there. You just got to know what you're doing.

jkindt · 05-20-2010, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smitty

...That said, it can still be absorbed through the skin.

This mean you won't be swimming any time soon?

timbuk · 05-21-2010, 11:47 AM

no shortage of water here on the west coast lately it just keeps raining because its the may long weekend.Funny how you need a permit to collect this water in some places,the regional district is making us pay 50 bucks a year so they can monitor our wells and groundwater we extract.How the hell are they gonna do that? My well is 180 feet deep!Where my cabin is there is a sanistation near by with both potable and non potable water,the word is they will begin to charge for this service.This means illegal dumping will occur.User fees=illegal dumping,as soon as the dump started charging,the bush fills up with trash!At least at the cabin there is a creek out back we use the water but we drink beer!

timbuk · 05-22-2010, 12:17 AM

oh yea it just proves that as soon as they find something they dont regulate,they regulate it!Gotta admit it sure is fun figuring out ways to get water power etc for the bus!Soon you will need a permit for yer solar panel

timbuk

Redbear · 05-22-2010, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timbuk

. . . . Soon you will need a permit for yer solar panel

timbuk

The states/provinces will contract with the artist Christo to place orange curtains across the entire sky.

Then they will allow him to act as their agent to collect solar permit fees. If you buy a solar license, Christo will open a space above your solar panels. He will split the license fees with the gummint after recovering his costs . . .

The big money will come from the all airports that want to access the sky . . .

lapeer20m · 05-25-2010, 08:36 PM

how did we end up living in a world where the .gov thinks they can restrict us from collecting rain water from our own property? or to put devices on our wells to control/monitor how much water an individual uses?

M1031 · 05-25-2010, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapeer20m

how did we end up living in a world where the .gov thinks they can restrict us from collecting rain water from our own property? or to put devices on our wells to control/monitor how much water an individual uses?

It's called socialism................ the new progressivism

M1031 · 05-26-2010, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smitty

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapeer20m

how did we end up living in a world where the .gov thinks they can restrict us from collecting rain water from our own property? or to put devices on our wells to control/monitor how much water an individual uses?

Complacency .....plain & simple. You don't think the sodium flouride they add to the water isn't doing its job? People have been "modified" to let this stuff happen with all the chemicals we're forced to ingest, water, GMO foods, vaccines.......

Smitty

Another excellent point Smitty!!!!!

crazycal · 05-26-2010, 08:50 PM

You talk about control, I bet you'll never guess who is buying up water rights all over the country and will use it to strangle us just like OPEC? T. Boone Pickens. How do you like that one?

timbuk · 05-27-2010, 01:42 AM

well i dont know about you guys but I pee on my own land and my water comes from my own land..is that self sustainable

party on al gore

Stuff · 05-27-2010, 01:50 PM

Im at CanWell2010 right now in winnipeg, manitoba. saw a nice filter that goes on your in line and collects sand and sediment. has a valve on the bottom to drain it when needed. Ill post some pics of it next week when i get back home

jkindt · 05-27-2010, 03:18 PM

I was going to mention distillation as an effective means of desalinization, but you beat me to it.

Salt is one of the hardest things to get out of water. I am not sure, but would reverse-osmosis be effective? I am not too familial with all the methods of water purification, but I know that since salt completely dissociates in water it is impossible to filter it out using mechanical filtration methods. Dissolved salt is no longer salt, it is sodium ions and chloride ions.